NFL Rumors: Denver Broncos Will Replace D.J. Williams With Young LB Talent
The linebacker corps for the Denver Broncos may struggle initially from the absence of LB D.J.Williams who is serving a six-game suspension to start the season and the punishment will likely be much longer after his recent conviction of DUI. It very well could be the last game that Williams plays for the Broncos.
Williams is in his 9th year in the NFL and he has averaged 101 tackles, nearly two forced fumbles, around 2.5 sacks, and about five pass deflections per season. He will be hard to replace on this defense, but the Broncos must find a way if they want to compete at the high level that they are expecting this season.
The obvious replacement for now is LB Wesley Woodyard who is in his 5th season and is no stranger to filling in for the suspended Williams or other injured players.
The future for the Denver Broncos LB corps should see some changes in the future and it may be sooner rather than later. Second-year LB Nate Irving and rookie LB Danny Trevathan have been impressive in camp and seem to be the better long-term options than LB Joe Mays and Woodyard.
Each week it is looking more and more like the Broncos are inching toward making one of these guys an every-down starter. There has already been some talk that Trevathan will play in the nickel packages at outside linebacker. Trevathan was drafted in the 6th-round of the 2012 NFL draft and when the Broncos saw that he was still there they were shocked. He was slowed when he ran his 40-yard dash because of a hamstring injury and this caused him to fall down the draft boards.
It is very impressive what Trevathan has been able to do this early in his rookie season. Irving is in his second season and was expected to be able to produce as early as Trevathan, but he claims that it was tough for him to adjust to the speed of the NFL. Irving says that this year he has been able to adjust and the game has slowed down a ton.
“My first year here, I can admit, I went out there and I was like, ‘Wow. It’s the NFL, I’ve got a big game ahead,’ ” Irving said. “I had butterflies and everything. This year, being through a year, going through the offseason and practicing, it was just like going out there and playing football again.”
Irving noted that he just ran around “hoping to do something right” during his rookie year, and now has a better understanding of the game.
“This year I know more about what I’m doing and I’m able to do it,” he said.
Trevathan and Irving are both expected to get some time with the first-string defense in the Broncos’ 2nd preseason game on Saturday. They will be competing with fellow LBs Mays and Woodyard for a starting spot. I wouldn’t be surprised if they both ended up as four-down starters as early as midseason.
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get rid of Williams he’s obviously going to be nothing but trouble and we don’t need that.
agreed